


Heathen: A Destiny Story

by ironregalia



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-09 20:16:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7815604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironregalia/pseuds/ironregalia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The origin story of twin Guardians.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gemini Effect

**Author's Note:**

> The world of Destiny, of course, belongs to the game development company Bungie. With this chapter (and upcoming ones) I wanted to explore the nature and possibility of actual familial bonds in the Destiny universe, particularly between Guardians.

 

 _Everyone talks about the art of the fall._  
_Pretty words and whispers paint pictures_  
_of angels' fair faces, and how graceful you were_  
when they cast you down.  _But my dear,_  
_you were not made to be soft._

 

* * *

 

 "Is it true?" says a Hunter, gaze shifting back and forth between the two.

The Titan nods politely in reply, hands folded behind his back -- as the Warlock shifts her weight to her other leg, arms crossed over her chest. Even when they don't mean to, they move as one.

"You're damn right it is," she says. There's a sense of pride in her voice that's hard to miss. "Anyone who says otherwise is full of shit."

Two Guardians, risen amongst the ancient dead _together,_ was unheard of. Perhaps it's why they're asked the same question so often, and perhaps the bizarreness of it all gave others hope. They tell the story anyway -- it's their story, after all. No one tells it like they do. 

Their story began like the others: a Ghost sent by the Traveler, in search for their warrior. Months passed and it drove the Ghost to travel beyond the borders of Old Russia, into the European Dead Zone.

Venturing into such territory was a dangerous gamble, but the Light still breathed beneath the ruins of an age long gone. The Dead Zone was vast, but not lifeless; even the Eliksni that occupied the area were smart enough to know that. 

The Ghost was led into the country, away from the old ruins of Golden Age civilization. A small church and a cemetery stood in crumbled silence. The Earth had reclaimed most of it, but the peace remained -- none of the graves were disturbed.

The Light grew stronger. It beckoned. The Ghost obeyed and searched, weaving through weathered gravestones, waiting for the Light to bring them to their companion.

And then, it did.

The Light was strong. But something else was there, too.

_Another Ghost._

This one was nestled at the foot of a grave, hidden behind overgrown grass and almost invisible to the eye of a mere passerby. It lay still, its shell also worn by time, but its Light was not gone.

As the Ghost hovered closer, the other blinked to life. A single, glowing optic looked up in wonder.

"You're here," said the sleeping Ghost. Static prickled its high voice. "I've been waiting."

"Waiting for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The sleeping Ghost left its place at the foot of the grave, its drift slow; circling around two identical gravestones.

"His Light calls to me. I found him many years ago," the sleeping Ghost halts its orbit. "But I couldn't resurrect him. Something tethered him to the world of the dead. And now her - her Light - calls to _you._ "

The Ghost turns, eyeing the other grave - where their champion slept. "His sister."

They entered their first life as twins. A second life seemed to be no exception. If they were to be reborn in Light, they would be reborn _together._

"Will this work?"

"I suppose we'll see."

And so they rose, thrown back into a world that was centuries older than the one they used to know.

There were no memories that told them of their origins or their childhood. There were only the dog tags around their necks, and their Ghosts in tow.

  

> **THE GEMINI EFFECT:**
> 
> The phenomenon in which two Guardians are simultaneously risen from the ancient dead; where one cannot be resurrected without the other. Only one case is known to have existed.

 


	2. Twenty-Four Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip a few years later after resurrection. A truth is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell, I did not expect the amount of overwhelming feedback I received from the last chapter! Thank you so much! This chapter is a bit shorter, but it's better this way. I promise. Figured I should keep it in the spirit of Bungie's 'we'll-tell-you-stuff-but-not-everything-right-away' style of storytelling. ;)

_People will talk about the way you fell,_  
_but most of all they will remember_  
_how hard you hit the ground,_  
_and the hell you raised_  
_in defiance of it all._

* * *

The stillness is strange. It seems unnatural, even for her.

But when she moves again, the Void answers. She hones in on its limitlessness, tearing and pulling from its energy to gather in her palm. Her arm winds forward, sending the javelin of her own power barrelling ahead.

The concrete wall splits on impact. It crumbles, sending rusted metal and debris crashing onto the frozen ground.

“Valkyrie…”

She doesn’t hear her Ghost at first. Or rather, she pretends not to. Instead she stares at her good work, her breath heavy and her fists clenched tight. 

After a moment she turns her head and she meets her companion’s gaze, but no words come. Not from either of them.

She’s first to break the silence. “Odin, I—”

Her Ghost hovers closer when her breathing slows. She reaches out, a gloved hand patting his metal shell; a sign of affection.

She wants to explain what they’re doing out in Old Russia in the middle of the night. She wants to tell her Ghost why she’d break the arm of the next person who fucking asks if she’s okay. But in truth, her words are lost.

Her words are lost in the way her arm drops back to her side; lost in the levelled mess of what used to be the ruins of a building.

The little wings on either side of his shell—a gift from Valkyrie herself—droop at the sight of her distress. Though the tinted visor of her helm conceals her visage, he doesn’t need to see behind it to know what plagues her.

She’s hurting and she doesn’t know what to do.

“I miss them too,” Odin says, his voice soft.

She walks off once again. Though her form darkens, Void pulses in angry sparks. He isn't sure if she heard him or not.

Twenty-four hours ago, Valkyrie buried her twin.

Twenty-four hours ago, Odin witnessed the fall. 


End file.
